So today, my son's 4H archery club started back up. There was a new girl there and her form looked awkward. I watched a few minutes and noticed she was shooting right handed, but using her left eye. Here anchor points were crazy looking, but she was making good shots about 75% of the time which is a lot better than some of the kids. I don't think the coaches noticed, so I did not say anything. If she is right handed, but left eye dominant, is it OK to let her keep this up? Seems like it will cause problems due to the crazy way she anchors.

My son is RH but LE dominant too. I started him shooting LH on his first Red Ryder. He's been shooting LH so long he doesn't know any difference. I'd swap her if it were me, but it's not me. I shoot and teach kids to shoot with both eyes open. She can't shoot both eyes open, but if she covered or closed her left eye, she would shoot okay right handed.

Starting out, you should teach them to shoot with whatever hand matches their dominant eye.

If she is trying to use the dominant eye then she should switch. Im RH but left eye dominant. I shoot long guns and pool left handed. I shoot handguns and bow right handed. The issue is if she shoots both eyes open. I close my left eye shooting bows and shoot fine.

I'm a little curious why you would follow the dominant eye rather than the hand. I understand the eye is important, but hand coordination seems equally important. She's about 10 or so and is a small girl. I bet she would have trouble drawing with her weaker arm. Not to mention having to buy a new bow. Is it possible to teach a kid to change eyes? At the state competition last year, I noticed a few kids wore a pirate patch over one eye while shooting. Would that help?

Cheapest solution is to buy an eye patch. This will force her to use the right eye. My daughter has to use one to shoot bow or gun. She cant seem to look through the peep or scope without it.

In all my years I've never instructed a kid or newbie to follow their dominant eye!!!
Being left/rifht brained and left/right eyed is 2 totally different things. As stated above an eye patch will cure this problem. People who are same eye and hand have the luxury of shooting with both eyes open, ones who are opposite have to squint.

It's critical to start off with shooting using the side your dominant eye is on. It allows you to have maximum depth perception. If you close one eye, you lose most of your depth perception. I know from experience. I'm LEFT eye dominant but very RIGHT handed. I cannot shoot a bow or birds accurately with both eyes open. I close my left eye because I just don't want to learn to shoot left handed after shooting 40 years right handed. When shooting a rifle it doesn't matter because I close my left eye anyway.

Dr. B

I am definitely right eye dominant but I shoot and do everything left handed. I dont think I could even pull a bow back and shoot one if I tried right handed. I'm not wrong handed, I'm wrong eyed.

Her problem is not necessarily a dominate eye problem it is going to be an anchor point problem. If she is shooting right handed she needs to be using her right eye. You can shoot right handed and be left eye dominate. You just have to train yourself to look through your right eye. I do it all the time and with both eyes open because I can't wink my left eye. A simple eye patch can help get her on the right track.

I never heard of the military making someone change from dominate eye. I' right handed and left dominate. I shoot everything left handed.

Right handed, left eye dominant. Shooting left handed came natural, and I can't close my left eye and keep my right eye open(tried to shoot right handed).